Data protection system

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure generally relates to data protection systems, and particularly to a data protection system using Bluetooth devices.

2. Description of the Related Art

A storage device such as a U-disk may be used for storing information. The storage device is small and can be easily carried. However, the storage device may also be lost easily due to its small size. If the storage device is lost an unknown party, the unknown party may obtain the information stored in the storage device by connecting the storage device to a computer. The information stored in the storage device such as trade secrets, private information, and other confidential information may be leaked. Therefore, it is very important to protect the information in the storage devices.

Therefore, there is room for improvement within the art.

The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an embodiment of a data protection system.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are a single flow chart of an embodiment of a data protection method.

Referring to FIG. 1 , an embodiment of a data protection system 100 includes a storage device 10 and a portable electronic device 21 . In the illustrated embodiment, the portable electronic device 21 is a mobile phone. The storage device 10 includes a connecting portion 11 , a memory 12 , a first Bluetooth device 13 , and a controller 14 . The storage device 10 is connected to a computer 200 via a connecting portion 11 . The memory 12 is used for storing data, and includes a read/write port 121 . The connecting portion 11 , the memory 12 , and the first Bluetooth device 13 are all connected to the controller 14 . The controller 14 controls the connection/disconnection of the read/write port 121 and the connecting portion 11 for data transmission. The portable electronic device 21 includes a second Bluetooth device 210 and a verifying module 211 . When the connecting portion 11 is connected to the computer 200 , the first Bluetooth device 13 sends a wireless interrogation signal to the second Bluetooth device 210 . If the second Bluetooth device 210 receives the interrogation signal and the verifying module 211 verifies the interrogation signal by inputting a predetermined password in the portable electronic device 21 , the second Bluetooth device 210 sends a reading-permitted signal to the first Bluetooth device 13 , and then the controller 14 connects the read/write port 121 and the connecting portion 11 for data transmission. The computer 200 can then read data of the memory 12 .

If the second Bluetooth device 210 is not turned on or the second Bluetooth device 210 is too far away from the first Bluetooth device 13 , the second Bluetooth device 210 cannot receive the interrogation signal from the first Bluetooth device 13 , and the first Bluetooth device 13 cannot receive the reading-permitted signal from the second Bluetooth device 210 . Therefore, if the storage device 10 is lost and then found by anyone, the data of the storage device 10 cannot be read just by connecting the storage device 10 to the computer 200 .

Further, if the second Bluetooth device 210 is in fact turned on and within range, the same inability to read the data will persist, and the reason is described as follows. When the second Bluetooth device 210 receives the interrogation signal from the first Bluetooth device 13 , the verifying module 211 cannot be operated by someone who picks up the storage device 10 , therefore, the verifying module 211 cannot verify the interrogation signal and the second Bluetooth device 210 would not send the reading-permitted signal to the first Bluetooth device 13 . The controller 14 disconnects the read/write port 121 and the connecting portion 11 effectively disabling any data transmission, and thus the computer 200 still cannot read data of the memory 12 .

The storage device 10 further includes a buzzer 15 . When any data transmission between the read/write port 121 and the connecting portion 11 is completed, the controller 14 activates the buzzer 15 to remind a user to remove the storage device 10 from the computer 200 .

The second Bluetooth device 210 and the first Bluetooth device 13 are one-on-one certification. The certification process takes place as follows. When the storage device 10 is first connected to the computer 200 , and assuming the second Bluetooth device 210 of the portable electronic device 21 is turned on, the first Bluetooth device 13 starts to search for other Bluetooth devices. When the first Bluetooth device 13 seeks and finds the second Bluetooth device 210 , the first Bluetooth device 13 will send a first password as entered in the computer 200 to the second Bluetooth device 210 . After the second Bluetooth device 210 receives the first password, the user of the portable device 21 must input a second password in the portable electronic device 21 , and the second Bluetooth device 210 sends the second password to the first Bluetooth device 13 . When the second password received by the first Bluetooth device 13 matches the first password, the certification process between the first Bluetooth device 13 and the second Bluetooth device 210 is satisfied and completed, and thus the first Bluetooth device 13 can subsequently send the interrogation signal to the second Bluetooth device 210 .

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3 , a data protection method using the data protection system 100 is described as follow. In step S 1 , the data protection system 100 having the storage device 10 and the portable electronic device 21 is provided. In step S 2 , the connecting portion 11 of the storage device 10 is connected to the computer 200 , and the controller 14 controls the read/write port 121 to disconnect the connecting portion 11 thus preventing the reading of data from the memory 12 by the computer 200 . In step S 3 , the first Bluetooth device 13 sends an interrogation signal to the second Bluetooth device 210 , and this state or step is repeated until next step S 4 occurs. In step S 4 , whether the second Bluetooth device 210 receives the interrogation signal. In step S 5 , the verifying module 211 verifies the interrogation signal by inputting the predetermined password in the portable electronic device 21 and permits reading data in the memory 12 , and then the second Bluetooth device 210 sends the reading-permitted signal to the first Bluetooth device 13 . In step S 6 , the first Bluetooth device 13 receives the reading-permitted signal. In step S 7 , the controller 14 controls the read/write port 121 to connect the connecting portion 11 for data transmission, and thus the computer reads data of the memory 12 . In step S 8 , when the data transmission between the read/write port 121 and the connecting portion 11 is completed, the controller 14 activates the buzzer 15 to beep to remind the user to remove the storage device 10 from the computer 200 . In addition, if the second Bluetooth device 210 does not verify the interrogation signal in step S 4 , or the verifying module 211 does not permit reading data in the memory 12 in step S 5 , or the first Bluetooth device 13 does not receive the reading-permitted signal in step S 6 , a step S 9 that the computer 200 does not read data of the memory 12 will occur. Between step S 1 and step S 2 , the second Bluetooth device 210 and the first Bluetooth device 13 complete the certification process described above.

When the storage device 10 is lost and connected to the computer 200 by someone unauthorized, the data of the storage device 10 cannot be read in any event if the second Bluetooth device 210 is not turned on, or if the second Bluetooth device 210 is too far away from the first Bluetooth device 13 , or if the user does not operate the verifying module 211 of the portable electronic device 21 . Therefore, the storage device 10 can protect the data of the storage device 10 in all conceivable situations.

Alternatively, the first Bluetooth device 13 and the second Bluetooth device 210 may be replaced with any devices using a wireless network protocol (such as Bluetooth).

While the present disclosure has been described with reference to particular embodiments, the description is illustrative of the disclosure and is not to be construed as limiting the disclosure. Various modifications can be made to the embodiments by those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the true spirit and scope of the disclosure, as defined by the appended claims.